Day Eleven
April 11
Time to take on Avignon…
I knew Leah Margaret was going to crash and burn sooner or later along this trip.
It happened today, halfway through the Palais des Papes. She just crashed and I loved her in-spite of it.
No amount of begging or bribing could savage her sore toes and overstimulated frontal lobe from the cobblestone passageways and historical stimuli dating back to the fourteenth century.
She dragged her weary body in autopilot through the palace gardens out and up to the upper gardens overlooking the Rhône River.
She indulged me with one last scenic point, Le Pont Saint Benezet.
Legend has it that in 1177, a shepherd boy received orders from God to built a bridge across the Rhône. I found it fascinating. Leah did not so much as bat an eyelid.
I love this girl so much… she’s truly a trooper. She just keeps smiling and walking… patiently allowing me to take photos, read signage, and shares in as much as possible along this adventure.
She holed herself up in the corner of the courtyard this afternoon to finish up some class projects for school… happy as a clam.
We move again tomorrow morning - farther south - bright and hopefully early.
Next stop Aix-en-Provence…
We are blessed to walk these streets, surrounded on every side by high city walls. Although we cannot fully appreciate the rich history we presently find ourselves fully immersed within… we know we are tucking away treasures for the future.
I stepped outside the city walls today and walked alone along the path that surrounds the city on all sides.
I thought about Jericho, Jerusalem, walls, and walking…
I thought about safety and security, protection and provision.
Looming far above every dimly lit passageway or brightly lit courtyard within this city’s walls, the palace towers rise majestically high as a symbol of might.
A fortress of strength…
Tonight, I am reminded again of the promise for those who carry the Name of the Lord within…
“The name of the Lord
is a strong fortress;
the godly run to him
and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
Never bound by physical walls, we look to the Hills… from there our Help will come.
We are secure and safe -
because of Him…
Resting in the shadow of palace walls…
Deep in the valley of the shadow of death…
High upon the mountaintop…
We remain in Him
And He remains in us
And we are safe.